Eminent domain jury trial

Represented a local school district in an appropriation case to acquire property needed for new school facilities. The property that the school board needed to acquire had a dilapidated Victorian-style home that was used as a haunted house for three months out of the year. The landowner claimed that the land was a “special purpose” property that should be valued at a higher price than what was estimated by the school board’s appraiser. The jury came back with a verdict that was approximately the same value offered by the school board prior to trial. In post-trial proceedings, the team was successful in stopping the landowner’s attempt to stall the board’s right to possess the appropriated property, so the board could continue on-schedule with the construction project.